Baghdad: Rockets of an unknown origin fell on Baghdad’s so-called green zone Tuesday evening for the first time this month, media reported.
Air raid sirens
According to Al-Sumaria broadcaster, air raid sirens went off in the district which houses much of the government’s headquarters and most embassies. What fell on the ground may have been shrapnel of rockets that were shot by Patriot air defense missiles, the broadcaster reported, although military confirmation would be required.
This is the first strike on the region since October, when the Iran-backed Shia paramilitary organization known as the Popular Mobilization Front said it would suspend airstrikes on the green zone if the Iraqi government provided a clear timetable for the final withdrawal of US soldiers from the country.
Iraqi seat of power
The so-called green zone, where the Iraqi seat of power and the US embassy in Iraq (the largest in the world) had been regularly targeted by improvised missiles of unknown origin. The embassy became a flashpoint of tensions earlier in the year, threats against which prompted US President Donald Trump to assassinate Iranian General of the Quds Forces Qasem Soleimani.